Happenings At The World's Greatest Newspaper

First:
As of late today, the Trib has not yet been sold.

Published April 1, 2007, 3:11 PM CDT

CHICAGO -- Tribune Co. remained silent Sunday as its board of directors reportedly met to vote on competing buyout offers for the media company.

Tribune's 11-member board appeared to favor a $7.9 billion buyout offer by real estate mogul Sam Zell, the Chicago Tribune, which is owned by the media conglomerate, reported in its Sunday editions.

Chicago-based Tribune had set a March 31 self-imposed deadline to announce a spin-off, buyout or reorganization.

The paper, citing an anonymous source, said Los Angeles billionaires Eli Broad and Ron Burkle had all but conceded a Zell victory.

It certainly sounds like this will be wrapped up by the WGN Morning News. My bet on the first action for Zell? Turning the Tribune Tower into condos. This is NOT a new idea.

Second:
The Chicago Tribune publishes their annual baseball preview section tomorrow. If you got the paper at the newsstand today, you received a 3-foot long Cubs/Sox schedule. The Trib was kind enough to send a few my way for The Seven Year Old and The Four Year Old to enjoy. I’m uncertain, but they may include the schedule in tomorrow’s editions as well.

Third:
Paul Sullivan had a column today in which he suggested that Cub fans are actually hurting the team:

Although the fans still are coming out in droves to watch the Cubs, the booing and harassment of players such as Corey Patterson and Jacque Jones have contributed to the "tough" atmosphere to which Pierre was referring, which raises the question:

Has the fans' impatience begun to hurt the team as they vent their frustration on struggling players?

This idea is such a load of crap that it does not deserve to be debated on the merits. I would suggest that if booing is a problem here, what must it be like in the Bronx? I also have to take personal umbrage over this line:

The booing of Patterson became so vicious that the Cubs decided he would be better off in new surroundings, so they sent him to Baltimore after the '05 season for low-level prospects despite his youth and untapped potential.

Utter garbage. By 2005, Patterson was 25 years old. That's not that young by MLB standards. He was arbitration eligible. That's not cheap in salary by MLB standards. And his 2005 season, where Korey posted an OBP of .254(!) on 451 ABs, was among the worst in the history of the Major League Baseball.

Now, I have no idea if this is in response to his comments and the rebuttal over at Goatriders, but to state that the fan reaction to Patterson was the reason for the trade is downright ingenuous. Paul is showing disdain for the fan.

Oh, and Paul, if you read this, I saw you on with Len and Bob last night from the Las Vegas exhibition game. For the first time I understand your Desipio nickname.